MYRTLE BEACH – A Marlboro County native is sharing her experiences as a Radio City Rockette and climbing the corporate world with others in her debut Wall Street Journal bestseller.
Laura Casselman released her first book, “Trust Your Increments: How Small, Consistent Steps Can Lead to Massive Success,” on March 7.
Casselman grew up in Marlboro County and attended Marlboro Academy. She graduated in 1997. Her parents, Susan, and Larry Gardner lived here until three years ago.
Her grandmother Davis “Scottie” Plummer lives in still in Clio and will turn 101 in April.
At the time, Casselman was a dancer with the Crystal McInnis School of Dance.
Eventually, she went to New York City, where she auditioned and became Radio City Rockette.
“I always knew that I was not going to retire from dance and open a dance studio,” she said.
She pursued dual resumes for her dreams. She started dancing in theme parks as a teenager by doing shows in Myrtle Beach.
Casselman said she started as a personal trainer in New York City, became a manager of a gym, became a regional manager, and just kept building up her resume.
By the time she retired from dance, Casselman stepped into her first executive position, which at that time was in a national chain of physical therapy offices.
“I just have always worked my plans on both resumes to accomplish my goals,” she said.
One of the things she talked about in her book is having big goals but breaking them down into daily steps and working your plans to accomplish what you want.
Casselman is the CEO of JV Zoo, an online software solution that allows sellers to create an instant affiliate program for their products and started her own company consulting with a lot of other companies.
“I realized I was regurgitating a lot of the same information,” she said.
Casselman considered writing a basic business book to get the information out there.
But while she was writing it, she heard from women in business who felt she was leaving out the most important parts, which was what females go through in business that men don’t go through.
“Things such as being underpaid for the same jobs and being sexually harassed all the time or even just the systemic sexism from other women that you don’t even realize you’re doing to each other,” she said.
The book made a big pivot in its focus.
Casselman went back and rewrote sections and added in all of these things that women face that she couldn’t leave out.
“It started becoming the passion of it by saying you can have these big goals and you can accomplish these big things,” she said. “But let’s not pretend like these things don’t exist anymore.”
The printed book was released on March 7, with the e-book released a week before.
The book hit the “Wall Street Journal” bestseller list at the end of its first week.
The moment I said I’m signing with a publisher; my goal was to make a bestsellers list.
“The goal of my book is for it to no longer be needed in 10 years’ time. And we’re not still fighting the same fight for equality in our paychecks. We’re not still fighting just to be treated fairly at work.”
Casselman, who lives in Myrtle Beach now, got the news that she had made the Wall Street Journal bestsellers list while she was in New York in Times Square.
“There was a big billboard with me and my book and that was exciting,” she said. “I feel like New York City has always been a good city to me.”
She admitted it was a hard city, but it was where accomplished her childhood and adult dreams there.
Now Casselman feels like the real work has begun.
“The real work begins as far as making sure we change things,” she said. “My daughter is 2 ½. I don’t want her fighting the same battles. I don’t want her experiencing the stories I tell in the book.”
Casselman wanted to give readers a heads-up about the book.
“I love Jesus, but I curse a little and there’s lots of curse words in my book,” she said.
But the biggest overall lesson that Casselman hopes that people will take from reading her book is everyone can accomplish their dreams.
“We can all accomplish our dreams if we just break them down into daily steps and we work the daily steps,” she said. “I’m a girl from Clio South Carolina, who became a Radio City Rockette. I run an international company listed on the Inc 5000 fastest-growing companies list in America four times. I’m now on the Wall Street Journal bestsellers list, and nothing about me is special.”
She added she just worked on my plan every day.
When asked if she would write another book, Casselman was in the process of writing a children’s book.
“I’m not sure if it’ll just be for my daughter or if we will publish it,” she said
Casselman felt “Trust Your Increments” focused more on the emotional aspects of things and less on business.
She wants to write a more in-depth business book to help women make money.
The book can be purchased online on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, Target, and Books A Million.